Monroe: Manu Ginobili clears himself to play against Lakers

November 7, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers small forward Matt Barnes (22) and San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili (20) go for a loose ball the first half of the game at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE
San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili, battling through the remnants of back spasms that sidelined him for the first two games of the season, has cleared himself to play against the 3-4 Los Angeles Lakers according to Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
The final decision, however, is up to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
Ginobili has had a bit of a subpar season to date (8.8 points, four assists, 2.4 rebounds and 40 percent shooting) but that can be attributed to the nature of his injury — lumbar back spasms tend to linger — and the brevity of the season as there is still 75 games to play.
If his career numbers are any indication, Ginobili has played relatively well against the Lakers. He’s averaged 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 29 minutes per game though his shooting (42.8 percent) is below his career average.